Nikola One: the world's first hydrogen truck from the USA

The American company Nikola Motor Company introduced the world's first fuel-cell hydrogen truck. This is only a working concept, the company will start mass production in 2020. According to the manufacturers, Nikola One is intended, first of all, for long-distance transportation of various goods with trailers of different types.

Among other details about the new truck, the developers indicated that it is equipped with 320 kWh batteries, which are charged by fuel cells. But even this is not interesting, but the fact that the total power of two electric motors of the truck is 1000 hp, torque - 2700 Nm.

This is enough for a fully loaded truck to accelerate to 100 km / h in 30 seconds. It can rise up to 6% without reducing the stroke. To ensure that everything runs smoothly on the slopes, the developers have added a regenerative braking system. The center of gravity of the truck is low, so driving it will not be too difficult.
')
The authors of the project could not leave the usual cabin - everything is futuristic, there are many hi-tech elements in the cabin. One of the advantages is the presence of a circular surveillance system that provides control of the traffic situation in the so-called dead zones. Compared with diesel counterparts, the interior space in the cabin is increased by 30%. The front panel houses two large screens. On one of them, which is located in front of the driver, the necessary technical information is displayed. On the second screen (this is rather a tablet), the navigator data plus images from cameras are displayed. There is also access to the network. For drivers there are two beds, a refrigerator, a microwave, a table and a wardrobe.



The main thing, of course, is not the cabinets or tables. The developers claim that their project should solve at least part of the problem of developing an environmentally friendly transport capable of traveling long distances. Now it is becoming an increasingly topical issue, since from 2020 some countries have proposed to introduce a partial ban on registration of cars with internal combustion engines. And if with cars everything is more or less clear, many companies work in the field of developing electric cars and hybrid cars, almost no one is developing trucks.

The problem is that a clean long-distance electric truck is a hard to implement idea. The fact is that a large number of batteries increases the weight of the car, and very significantly. And the range of travel at the same time remains small. For example, the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck electric truck can travel no more than 200 kilometers without recharging. For a long distance without a developed system of gas stations, this truck is not able to move. Therefore, we need a source of external energy.

Nikola One is completely devoid of internal combustion engines, instead using hydrogen fuel cells that supply energy to the motor.

Due to its design, a truck can travel from 1.3 to 1.9 thousand kilometers without hydrogen charging. Each wheel of the car can be controlled separately. The developers believe that this will significantly improve the maneuverability of the truck.

The weight of Nikola One will be from 8.2 to 9.5 tons, depending on the configuration. Unfortunately, the cost of the vehicle is not disclosed, but the company management said that the trucks will be leased. Pre-order a truck too. However, in this case, an advance payment of $ 1 thousand is required.

Nikola Motor Company is going to start rebuilding a network of hydrogen filling stations in the US and Canada. The start of work is scheduled for 2018. In total, they plan to create 364, they should be ready by 2019.


Truck Characteristics:

• Electric drive 6 * 6;
• The absence of harmful substances in the exhaust (mainly water and carbon dioxide);
• The cost of transporting goods at the same distance compared to a diesel engine is two times less;
• Torque 2700 Nm;
• 1000 horsepower;
• Cruising 1931 km;
• Battery: 320 kWh;
• Regenerative braking system with simultaneous charging of batteries;
• Batteries are charged on the go;
• Load capacity: 30 tons;
• Braking distance with full load: 45 meters;
• Consumption of hydrogen fuel: 15.6-23.5 l / 100 km;
• Estimated price: $ 375,000

The car was presented on December 1 in the USA, at a special event held in Salt Lake City. At the same presentation was announced the imminent appearance of the younger brother of the truck, Nikola Two. The beginning of its production is scheduled for 2020. The size of the first batch will be about 5,000 cars.